petra's day off
by allisa.jm
Summary: Petra takes a personal day and meets Jane, a barista at a small coffee shop.
1. Chapter 1

a/n: this is a little three chaptered thing that took me FOREVER to finish, but i am very very proud of how it turned out. the first chapter will be Petra's POV, the second Jane's, and the third will be a mix of both.

a little background, this is set after the time jump, Jane had Mateo as a result of accidental insemination, but the father was anonymous. Jane was married to Michael and his fate is still cannon to the show.

Petra was married to Raf, and had Ellie and Anna during their marriage. Petra has known she is bisexual, while Jane is yet to find out.

anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my story, now lets get on with it

* * *

Petra was a very busy woman, to say the least. With running her hotel, trying to be the best mother she could be to her wonderful daughters, and managing her own basic needs, she barely had time for herself.

However, occasionally she would take a day off. Maybe once or twice a year -if that- she takes a day off, goes somewhere she knows nobody will bother her, and just relaxes. She turns off her phone, leaves the twins with either their father or nannies, and takes care of herself and herself alone.

Today was one of those rare days. Petra had a hard week, and just really needed a break. That morning she made sure she had no meetings scheduled and arranged for the girls to be picked up from school by their father.

After dropping the twins off at school, Petra was a free woman with no agenda whatsoever.

She drove for about a half hour until she was far away enough that nobody would bother her, but close enough in case of an emergency. She looked around until she spotted a small coffee shop, and parked.

The place was small, and had a relaxed look to it. Petra grabbed her bag and made her way inside. Once inside the small shop, Petra looked around. There was a few couches and chairs set up around coffee tables, and a few booths near the back and along one wall. There was music playing softly, and the place had a relaxed feel to it.

There weren't many people around, given the time of day, so she set her things down at a booth near the back. Petra walked up to the counter, and looked up at the menu.

"Can I help you?"

Lost in her thoughts, Petra jumped a little when she heard the voice. She looked towards the source of the voice to find a very pretty young woman- possibly a few years younger than herself- looking at her earnestly.

Petra smiled a little at the girl. "I've never been in before. What would you recommend?"

"Yeah I probably would've remembered you," the girl said and- wait was that a wink?

Petra blushed a little at the comment, and possible flirting. "The specialty drinks are all good, but my favorite thing is my own creation," the girl said with a smile.

"Hmm. Well then, surprise me." Petra said, surprising herself a little. She didn't often like to relinquish control, but something about this girl made her feel comfortable in doing so.

"Okay! I'll have that right out for you!" the girl said, bouncing slightly.

Petra walked back to her booth and sat down. She opened up her laptop, only to be bombarded with the view of many unopened emails. Sighing, she closed the offending device and reached for her book.

When she was growing up Petra loved to read, however she never got to do so often. Her and her mother were so poor, it was hard to buy food, let alone a book. Whenever Petra would ask her mother she would just scoff and tell her it was either dinner for two days or a book.

When she finally had money of her own, Petra bought herself all the books she could have ever dreamed of as a child. Now though, she didn't have much time for reading.

Shaking her head a little to get the thoughts of her childhood out of her mind, Petra saw the young barista approaching her booth with a large mug and a smile on her face.

"I present: The Jane, as it has been dubbed by my co-workers."

"I assume that's you then?" Petra asked.

"That's me! And you are?"

"Petra," she said, giving Jane a small smile.

"That's a very pretty name. It suits you," Jane said, and Petra once again blushed at the girls not so subtle flirting.

Jane set the mug down in front of Petra, and put her hands behind her back, waiting. Petra glanced into the mug before picking it up and taking a small sip.

"This is delicious," Petra practically moaned. "What is this?"

" It's nothing too fancy, really. It's supposed to taste like french toast, but it's also been described as christmas in a secret recipe." Jane said, grinning and winking once more.

Petra took another sip and closed her eyes. "Well Jane, I can say with confidence that this is the best thing I have ever had in my mouth." Petra says very seriously.

Jane just laughed. "Let me know if you need anything else!" She turned to go, but Petra stopped her. "Wait, I actually do need something," Petra said quickly.

"Your wish is my command." Jane joked and grinned.

"Company, if you're willing?" Petra asked, feeling a little nervous but not letting it show.

"I'd love to! Let me just go grab myself something real quick," Jane scurried off and Petra smiled to herself a little.

It took Jane a few minutes to come back, and when she did she looked at Petra and smiled widely. She was carrying a mug of her own and a plate with something on it.

"What's that?" Petra asked, looking at the plate as Jane set it down across from her.

"Well I haven't eaten today yet, so I got a coffee cake. You can have some it you want!" Jane said happily, pushing the plate to the middle of the table and taking her seat across from Petra.

"So, Petra," Jane said, picking up a fork and taking a small bite of the coffee cake. "What do you do for work?"

"I run a kids hotel,"

"You run a hotel for children? That sounds very hectic,"

"Oh trust me, it is." Petra said, grinning. "But I do it so my girls can have a comfortable life I could have only dreamed of at their age."

"You have kids?"

"I have two twin daughters. Ellie and Anna," Petra smiles a little at the thought of them.

"Twins must be a handful! How old are they?"

"Four. They just started school this year. But they've always been very well behaved."

"That must be great. My son has had some trouble with school, but he's starting to get into the swing of it."

"You have a son in school? You don't look nearly old enough for that!" Petra looked over the girl once again.

She did look young, but apparently had a child around the girls' age. Petra glanced at her hand and saw a ring there. "How old is your son?"

"He just turned five. His name is Mateo," Jane said smiling.

"So, you're married then?" Petra asked, gesturing to the jewelry adorning Jane's hand and raising an eyebrow.

"Widowed." Jane sighed a little.

"Oh Jane, I'm sorry I brought that up!" Petra exclaimed, placing a hand on top of Jane's and squeezing lightly.

"No, its okay, really. You couldn't have known. It's been three years since he died."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Everyone has to go through pain at some point." She shook her head a little and smiled. "I still have my son, so I have all I need for the time being."

"How is it for him? Growing up without a father can be hard,"

"Well, Michael wasn't actually Mateo's father."

"Oh?"

"It's kind of a long story,"

Petra shrugged. "I've got time"

The two women talked about their lives for well over an hour. They laughed so much, and Petra couldn't remember a time she had had this much fun with anyone.

Jane glanced down at her phone screen, eyes widening when she realized the time. "Oh wow! It's almost eleven-thirty! The lunch rush is about to start!"

"Well I won't keep you from your work any longer." Petra said, a little disappointed that Jane had to get back.

"I had a wonderful time talking to you Petra! Are you going to be here for longer?"

"My day is completely free. I took off work for a "me day"' Petra said, making quotations with her fingers.

"I get out of here at one. If you're still around, maybe we can grab lunch?"

Petra smiled. "That sounds great."

Jane smiled and gave Petra a little wave before bouncing off to the counter.

* * *

a/n: if you've made it this far thank you so much! please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! the next chapter should be up within the week because its already written


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: wow have i been busy! even with the quarantine, i have not had a moment to breath! anyway, here's chapter two, thanks to all who have read so far!

* * *

Jane had indeed been correct about the sudden influx of customers in the small shop, presumably people trying to get through the rest of their day with some caffeine. Still, the shop was calm enough for Petra to be able to just sit and enjoy her book.

So engrossed in the story, Petra didn't look up from her book until she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jane standing before her, her apron nowhere to be seen and carrying a small purse.

"Good book?" Jane asked with a smirk.

Petra glanced around the shop, seeing that the rush of people coming in and out had lessened greatly. "Is it one already?" she asked, a little surprised at how quickly the hour and a half had passed.

"It is indeed," Jane grinned. "You ready to go?"

"Just let me pack up," Petra said, smiling at the thought of spending more time with Jane. Petra threw her book and laptop in her bag quickly and stood. "Okay. Now where are we going?"

"Um, I haven't thought of that yet. I don't really know the area," Petra said. "I came here to get away from all the people I could possibly know. What do you think?

"Well," Jane said checking the time on her phone. "My son gets off of school in two hours and he isn't in this area either. Maybe we can head that way and see what we can find?"

Petra smiled,"That sounds great."

Once the two women got outside, Petra stopped on the sidewalk. "Will your car be okay here or do you want to just follow me?"

"I took the bus here, so we can take your car if you'd like." Jane said, as slight tint in her cheeks became visible.

"Perfect!" Petra placed her hand on the small of Jane's back, leading her to her car. "So, what way should I go?" Petra asked once they were in the car.

"Take a left here and it's about a twenty minute drive on the freeway," Jane said.

"Oh wow! What a coincidence, I live around that area too!" Petra said, surprised that Jane chose a job so out of the way. "Wait, why do you work so far from home?" Petra asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well me and my husband used to live over here before he died, and now I just make the commute because I love who I work with. Plus I always have somewhere to get away to if needed."

"That must be nice." Petra said. The two fell into a comfortable silence as Petra drove, both women just content to listen to the soft music playing from the radio. After a while Jane directed Petra toward their destination. Once they were off the freeway Petra glanced at Jane. "So, where should we go for lunch? We could go to my hotel maybe? The food is excellent if I do say so myself."

"That sounds great Petra!" Jane replied with a smile.

Petra drove the familiar route back to her hotel. "So this is it," Petra said gesturing to the building. "The Marbella."

She drove to the front entrance and the valet driver opened her door for her. Petra got out of her car and walked over to Jane's side, opening her door and extending her hand to help her up out of the car. Jane smiled softly at her and took the offered hand.

Petra kept hold of that hand as she led them to a table off to the side and sat down. She waved over a server to take their order.

"I'll just start with a water for now," Petra said, glancing at Jane.

"I'll have the same."

Petra watched, chin perched on her hand as Jane picked up her menu and begin scanning the contents. "Hmm, what would you recommend Petra?" Jane said, looking at Petra and snapping her out of the daze she had fallen in.

"Well, everything is good but my personal favorite is the honey garlic salmon." Petra replied quickly.

"Then I think i'll have that." Jane said, closing her menu and placing it back on the table.

Petra turned and waved over a waiter to take their orders. "We'll both be having my usual," Petra tells the waiter, taking Jane's menu from her hands and passing it to the man.

The two start to talk about their lives, once again forgetting all sense of time. Their food and drinks arrive and they consume them while they are still absorbed in deep conversation.

Their bubble is popped when Jane's phone dings with a notification. The woman glances down at it, her eyes going wide. "I have to pick up my son from school! I can't believe I lost track of time!" Jane says, a little panicked. She shoots up from the table, rummaging in her purse for something, before pulling out a card victoriously. She starts glancing around for a waiter.  
"Woah, woah, calm down Jane." She levels the younger woman with a look that is stern but soft. "First of all, there is absolutely no way I will let you pay for our meal. I asked you to come to lunch with me, so I should pay."

Jane smiles at Petra and takes a visibly calming breath. "Thank you again Petra. I should get going, I just need to call someone for a ride so I can get there in time."

"That brings me to my second point, I will gladly give you a ride to your son's school, as I am the one who distracted you enough to require one in the first place." Petra says, chuckling a little.

"You don't have-" Petra cuts Jane's sentence off by holding a finger dangerously close to her lips.

"Jane. I insist."

Jane just glances at Petra's hand, which she lowers a little too quickly, and nods. Petra grabs her own purse and slips her hand into Jane's pulling her to the front of the hotel. The valet immediately rushes off to fetch her car for her.

"Thank you so much for this Petra, really."

"It's no problem Jane." Petra says, waving her hand that isn't still intertwined with Jane's.

The valet shows up with Petra's car, and they finally detach their hands to get in. Petra opens up the passenger side door for Jane before she walks around the car to get in herself. Once seated she glances at Jane. "Now. Where to?"

About halfway to the school, Jane seems to realize something. "Wait, aren't your girls in school?"

"Yes, why?" Petra asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Don't they need to be picked up soon?" Jane says, checking the time.

"I'll just have their nannies pick them up. Not a big deal."

"I hope I'm not keeping you,"

"Jane, I told you. This. Is. No. Big. Deal. Four out of five days of the week, the twins' nannies pick them up. It's nothing new to them or me."

Jane shakes her head but smiles. "If you say so,"

They arrive at the school just in time. Jane steps out of the car when she spots her son, knowing he would be confused about the unfamiliar car. Petra leans forward and catches a glimpse of a young boy who looks remarkably like Jane. She hugs his mother tightly before she helps him into the back seat of the car. The second the boy is in he speaks up. "Who are you?" He says looking confusedly up at Petra.

"I'm your mother's friend."

"Mommy hasn't ever talked about you." The boy says, looking suspicious.

"I'm er, her new friend."

"Oh."

The boy nods and seems to be perfectly content with the explanation. Petra looks back just in time to see Jane open the passenger door to the car and get back in. Petra puts the car into drive and concentrates on trying to get out of the pickup area.

Jane turns in her seat to face her son. "How was school Mr. Sweetface?"

Petra snorts at the nickname and Jane shoots her a look. Petra schools her features, but continues smiling as the younger woman turns away.

"It was okay.."

The boy launches into a story about some drama that happened during the day and Petra zones out, deciding to let Jane have her moment with her son. Finally, the boy finishes his story and Jane turns back to Petra.

"If you'd like, we could drop Mateo off at my house with my grandma, and we can go back to the hotel?"

Petra smiles and nods. "Where to?"

The younger woman gives Petra a few directions while she talks to the young boy. What they talk about, Petra isn't sure, even in the midst of the conversation, but she keeps up the conversation. Every time she makes the young boy laugh, Jane smiles this wonderful smile at her. It takes over her whole face as her nose scrunches and her eyes lit up.

Petra isn't one for telling jokes, but she makes Mateo laugh just to see that smile over and over.

After a hug and a kiss goodbye to her son, Petra has Jane all to herself once again. Jane gets in the car once more and turns to face Petra. She covers one of Petra's hands with her own and smiles. "Thank you for that."

Petra furrows her eyebrows. "For what?"

"You were really good with him. I mean I know you have your own kids so that's obviously a factor, but most people I meet are a little freaked out that I have a son, so it really meant a lot to me that you were good with him."

As Jane went on with her rant, Petra smiled and squeezed her hand. When she was finished, Petra smirked. "Are you finished?"

Jane gasped dramatically and withdrew her hand, softly smacking Petra's arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Petra said, still giggling. "It's just, of course I'm going to be nice to your kid Jane, I was nice to you after all."

Jane beams, "I know, but I really do appreciate it Petra." She takes Petra's hand again and squeezes it softly.

They look at each other for a moment before Petra finally looks away. She clears her throat. "So, back to the Marbella then?"

Jane nods and off they go. Petra drives with her left hand, her right grasped in Jane's for a little while before having to let go.

They sit in a comfortable silence on the short drive back to the hotel. Once they arrive, Petra gets out and rushes around the car to open the door for Jane again. She offers her hand to help the younger woman out of the car, and she takes it, a slight blush visible on her cheeks.

"So, would you like to go to the beach maybe?" Petra asks, not letting go of Jane's hand once more

Jane glances at their still intertwined hands and nods. "That sounds great."

* * *

a/n: hope you enjoyed this short little chapter! one more coming soon! please everyone stay safe in your homes and keep social distancing! this will only work if we all do it together!


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